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A visit to New Zealand's oldest settlement

The current weather is up and down, dry and wet... Today we were lucky - the sun was shining and it promised to be a beautiful day. So we decided to go for a drive to Russell, which is New Zealand's oldest settlement and once used to be the country's first capital. It's in the heart of the Bay of Islands, right across from Paihia. We took the long drive along the coast this time, which was very scenic :-)

If you have enough money, there is lots to do in Russell. Hop aboard a boat to go dolphin-watching or see the Hole in the Rocks, go kayaking, fishing, diving, parasailing, ... the options are endless.

We opted for a walk along the wharf and beach and then stopped for lunch at The Gables. I'd been there before back in 2011 when my mom and brother were here for a visit. Matt and I both ordered something with seafood - go figure *lol*

Matt had citrus infused kingfish with a salad - it tasted delicious! But it simply wasn't enough to fill up a grown man. A bit disappointing for $23. Was more like an appetizer. My choice was a lot better. I had garlic seared scallops with double-glazed bacon and pea risotto. I've never been a big fan of risotto, but WOAH was this one yummy. Quite filling, too. I can definitely recommend that dish!

After lunch we thought we'd better walk it off. We turned off towards Rawhiti where we'd once hiked to an old Whaling Station and this time came across a short walk to Oke Bay. It's pretty much the start of the Cape Brett hike which is 16km long and takes 8h one way. At the end you get to the lighthouse where you can camp and stay the night.

Want to do that one day, but today we oped for the short hike over the hill and ended up at Oke Bay - a lovely white sand beach which we pretty much had all to ourselves...